Monday, July 15, 2013

Educating the Heart: Ethical mindfulness is the key to happiness


"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. 
If you want to be happy, practice compassion." 
~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso
Educating the heart, also called Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), or even better: Social Emotional Ethical Learning (SEE Learning), is "in." Everyone, without exception, wants to be happy. No one wants suffering. That's a universal truth. What does it take to be happy? What are the causes of suffering we need to abandon? What are the causes of happiness we can adopt?

From Mind and Life Institute introduction video

Happiness is a mental state, hence any solution to the conundrum of happiness will be internal, related to the mind, rather than external - "more stuff." "More stuff" doesn't lead to lasting happiness. Acquiring more stuff is like drinking salt water. The more you drink, the thirstier you get. The more stuff you acquire, the more you feel you lack. There's always more and more and more you can get. One ends up chronically dissatisfied. What's the solution? 

Getting off the hamster wheel...

There are three essential conditions or necessary elements for cultivating lasting happiness, a profound sense of well-being, of inner contentment, of inner peace: single-pointed concentration, compassion and wisdom.


COMPASSION is a strong wish that all beings be free of suffering, a deep and sincere concern for others' well-being. The foundation for developing compassion is the practice of universal ethics. In this context, 'universal' means: applied to all without exception, a non-biased ethics. We abandon harming others and gradually adopt a loving and compassionate altruistic outlook, extending our concern beyond the familiar, those who are near to us, to include neutral people, strangers, people we have difficulty with, even our so-called "enemies." Love is the strong wish that all beings be happy, and is a prerequisite and counterpart to compassion, the strong wish that all beings be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Developing the Mind of Great Capacity - 2 Methods for Cultivating Compassion 
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1560

 Expanding Your Circle of Compassion - Robert Thurman
http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_thurman_on_compassion.html

Exchanging self and others: Tonglen http://tinyurl.com/cdkdov8 
Excerpt from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche (The teacher is problematic but the book is excellent.)
Complete book as free pdf download:

Loving Kindness and Compassion - Geshe Pema Dorjee

WISDOM is the profound understanding of selflessness, of the emptiness of inherent existence of self. In Thich Nhat Hanhs's words: interbeing. We exist interdependently and co-evolve. We ourselves and all compounded phenomena exist in this interdependent, impermanent, continual changing, selfless way.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

~ Matthew 7:3-5 King James Version (KJV)


The more our view of reality is in accord with reality, the less anxiety and the more happiness and well-being we experience. It is said that the ordinary mind perceives: suffering as happiness, impermanence as permanence, and selflessness as self. The wisdom mind perceives: suffering as suffering, impermanence as impermanence, and selflessness as selflessness. Wisdom mind has no confusion, no mistake, no exaggeration of positive or negative projection tacked onto the perceived object - the perception of reality accords with reality. Our mistaken perception of self, of "I," is the "speck in the eye" that gets in the way of clearly perceiving self and others.

3 Root causes of suffering to abandon: ignorance, attachment, aversion
From Integrative Public Health Model to Heal Violence

In order to properly cultivate and internalize compassion and wisdom at the most subtle levels of mind, we must cultivate single-pointed concentration. Single-pointed concentration prepares the mind to be "serviceable and pliant." We can exercise our "mental muscle" in a way that is analogous to exercising our physical muscles. By continually bringing our wandering attention back to a consistent object of concentration - the breath, the body, the mind, or a mental image - we can train and tame our wild and unruly monkey mind, our wild horse mind, our wild elephant mind.

ETHICAL MINDFULNESS, mind training, taming the mind, is essential for happiness. Our mind colors every moment of our experience. In order to have a stable unwavering mind that perceives reality compassionately, yet without exaggeration, we must train our minds.

Excerpt by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on inner peace as our top priority. 
His Holiness ranks 1. inner peace, 2. health, 3. friendship, 4. money, in that order. 

Imagine All the People: A Conversation with the Dalai Lama on Money, Politics, and Life as It Could Be His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Fabien Ouaki
Boston: Wisdom Publications, pp.  5-6. 1999.
 
Dalai Lama: Let me say this: money is good. It is important. Without money, daily survival - not to mention further development - is impossible. So we are not even questioning its importance. At the same time, it is wrong to consider money a god or a substance endowed with some power of its own. To think that money is everything, and that just by having lots of it all our problems will be solved is a serious mistake.


In the Buddhist approach, worldly happiness is based on what we call the four excellences: the Dharma, wealth, nirvana, and satisfaction. Nirvana, or freedom from suffering, is the ultimate goal. The satisfaction achieved from a successful temporal life is just a transient goal. The teachings are the means to achieve ultimate inner freedom, whereas money and wealth facilitate worldly happiness, temporary satisfaction. One strives to achieve that which is positive for all beings. To do so, one must attend to both ultimate and temporary goals. Well-being and money belong to the latter category. In fact, Buddhist texts mention the fruition of eight qualities, including wealth, health, and fame that define a 'fortunate" human existence.


To enjoy even temporary happiness, however, one must first have peace of mind. Next comes health, then good companions, and then money, in that order, though of course all four aspects are connected. For example, when we had to escape from Tibet, our first priority was to save our lives. Being penniless was secondary. If one is alive, it is always possible to make friends and earn money. Peace of mind must come first. Peace of mind generally attracts prosperity. Certainly someone who has a peaceful mind will use his or her money judiciously.


The mind is key. If anything should be considered a god, so to speak, it is the mind, not money. A healthy, positive mind is the utmost priority. But if we were to reverse the order of these priorities, what would happen? I find it hard to imagine how a person with great wealth, bad health, no friends, and no peace of mind could feel even slightly happy.


Fabien: But many people live that way.


Dalai Lama: Yes, especially rich people like you! And then alcohol becomes their best friend, doesn't it? In the end, their fortune is exhausted and their health is spoiled. That is why someone who grasps peace of mind but not the other three elements can still survive and be happy, even in poor health. Inner peace alone can be enough to define happiness. Following the same logic, if you are in peace, healthy and surrounded by trusted friends, surely you can survive without money. But reverse the situation and observe what happens. If someone has only money and not the other three elements, then they have nothing but problems. That is how I see it.

Analytical meditation on the selflessness of self - His Holiness the Dalai Lama 
http://viewonbuddhism.org/Meditations/dalai_lama_meditation.html 
(See third of three meditations) Buddhist website, generic meditation by His Holiness. Site also has excellent generic intro to meditation.
Two views of the "I" - photo/painting http://twitpic.com/c3asuj 

Resources for students, teachers, administrators, human beings

Photo from The Dharma Primary School, UK website
http://www.dharmaschool.co.uk/mindfulness-in-education/

How to Meditate on the Breath?
An Experiment in Single-Pointed Concentrative Meditation 

Today's Adventure: 
  • What is meditation? Why meditate?
  • How to meditate on the breath?
  • What did we learn experience or discover?
1. What is meditation?
Meditation is also called mind training, mindfulness or awareness. Meditation = Ethics (not harming others) + Single-pointed concentration We will learn concentrative single-pointed meditation on the breath.

Why meditate?
Meditation helps develop a calm and peaceful mind. By counting 10 or 20 breaths instead of reacting immediately when we're angry, we can deal better with our anger and the situation.

2. How to meditate on the breath?
Sit comfortably. Listen carefully and please follow my instructions....

5-10 minutes every morning upon waking, and every evening before going to sleep. Sit 1. cross legged, or in a chair, feet on floor, 2. straight back is most important, 3. hands on knees, 4. shoulders relaxed, 5. head straight and slightly bent forward, 6. eyes very slightly open, letting in a sliver of light, 7. tongue touches the upper palate. Bring attention to the tip of your nose, where the air comes in and goes out. Notice if you can feel the cooler air coming in and the warmer air going out. Count ten breaths, then repeat. Gradually bring the attention back to the body to end the meditation.

3. Please share aloud (and/or write down), in one or two words or a short sentence, what you learned, experienced or discovered about meditation?

Nurturing Mindfulness in Families, Schools and Youth - Mark Greenberg 45 min
Classroom Handout
Please feel free to copy, use in your classroom, distribute

Ethics is the basis for mindfulness and inner peace. 

ETHICAL MINDFULNESS
Top 10 Ways to Reduce Stress 
3 of Body:
No Killing, No Stealing, No Sexual Misconduct
What to adopt: Saving Lives, Generosity, Fidelity

4 of Speech:
No Lying, No Divisive, Harmful or Meaningless Speech
What to adopt: Honesty, Reconciliation & Conflict Resolution, Kind & Meaningful Speech

3 of Mind:  
No Envy, No Harmful Intent, No Wrong Views - 
especially no mistaken view of self, no exaggerated self-importance
What to adopt: Rejoice in Others' Happiness, Benefit Others, Put Others Before Self


 Good Mantras

A Mindful Nation for Our Children:


Building a Mindful Nation for Our Children with Congressman Tim Ryan:
Being Your True Nature 
                              

Free the Mind - Trauma recovery with mind training (Just about everyone's got it.)



Links


Ethics links:

The Dalai Lama Foundation (DLF):

Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgO1CjkVnhg  (DLF study guide in preparation)

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche quote on mindfulness and ethics http://twitpic.com/ccqg4j

Ethics for a More Prosperous World - H.H. the Dalai Lama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu7YuUUVCJQ

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje:
Educating the Heart / Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Programs and Trainings:

CASEL Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning http://casel.org/

Nurturing Mindfulness in Families, Schools and Youth - Dr. Mark Greenberg, University of of Pennsylvania


Goldie Hawn Foundation - MindsUP http://thehawnfoundation.org/mindup/

Nation of Change article on SEL

Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, Dr. Richard Davidson http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org

Cognitive-Based Compassion Training, Emory-Tibet Partnership

Being Your True Nature trailer - Osel Hita
(16 Guidelines, also above, under Ethics http://16guidelines.org/16guidelines-overview)
Becoming Your Own Therapist by Lama Yeshe - wonderful book, free download http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/becoming1.pdf

Congressman Tim Ryan - A Mindful Nation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sZDM93HFGs
Building a Mindful Nation for Our Children 5:08 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W_yMvoMVb0 
The Holistic Life Foundation After School Program http://www.hlfinc.org

Bhutan Schools Focus on "Gross National Happiness" 4:06 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChOy_gtcQw0

Sir Ken Robinson:
Janna Weiss' cautionary note: Creativity is only useful if coupled with compassion, with a pure motivation to benefit others. The A bomb was also a creative endeavor.
More Great Education Links:

Bunker Roy - Learning from a barefoot movement

Bhutan Gross National Happiness and Sustainability 

The Drugging of Our Children - Gary Null

Compassion Research - Contemplative Neuroscience: 

Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (also above) http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org

Emory-Tibet Partnership (also above) http://tibet.emory.edu

Mind and Life Institute
Mind and Life intro 8:24 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o6_KB7tDbc

Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University

DeSteno, D. The Morality of Meditation. New York Times. July 5, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/opinion/sunday/the-morality-of-meditation.html

Weng et al. Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis of Brain States After Compassion Training Predicts Charitable Donations. Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) 2012.
http://www.princeton.edu/~jalewpea/abstracts/Weng_CNS2012_LongAbstract.pdf

Take Compassionate Action:

Begin a daily meditation practice.

Start or join a Study Circle for Ethics http://www.dalailamafoundation.org/programs/study-circles/study-guides/

Sign the Charter of Compassion  http://charterforcompassion.org/

Participate in the Compassion Games http://compassiongames.org

Watch Occupy Love (full film for a small fee) and/or I Am (hope this Vimeo link is ok to offer)

Share with others.

May all beings be happy. May all beings be free of suffering and its causes.
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Saturday, March 2, 2013

Tibet Is a Major Global Issue



Environment, Peace, Health
Janna Weiss on WBAI Talkback with Hugh Hamilton 
January 9, 2013
http://chirb.it/e1Nmzp
4:30 min

WBAI:
http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/wbai_130109_150006talkback.mp3
Start 01:39:15 to 01:43:27  (04:12 min)
WBAI link expired on April 9, 2013

Hugh Hamilton:
And you're on the air. Good afternoon.
Hello. You're on the air. Yes.

Janna Weiss:
Hello, Mr. Hamilton.
It's a pleasure to speak to you.
I appreciate WBAI very much.

Hugh Hamilton:
Thank you.

Janna Weiss:
I'd like to talk to you about the Tibetan issue, which is one of the most critical and important global issues today, which is really absent from the public discourse.

Hugh Hamilton:
Yes...

Janna Weiss:
95* Tibetans have self-immolated within Tibet because they are suffering really brutal oppression for over fifty years with no freedom of religion and really a cultural genocide that is ongoing.
And there are 10,000 Tibetans living in New York, and it would be great to give voice, I think, to the issue.

The issue is a global issue for environmental reasons... for three main reasons. One is the environmental issue. Tibet is considered the Third Pole of the world. The Himalayan snow is the source water for the.. the ice caps of the Himalaya are the snow [source] for drinking water for about 10 major Asian rivers, for 60% of humanity, and they're melting at an extraordinary rate due to inappropriate human activity - mining and damming and so forth.

Hugh Hamilton:
Yes...

Janna Weiss:
They're in the process of displacing and settling 1.4 million nomads who live in harmony with the environment and tend the pasturelands of Tibet. And Tibet is beginning to undergo desertification and 1.4 million nomads will have nothing to do in cement houses.

Hugh Hamilton:
That's the first issue, you said. You said there are three reasons.

Janna Weiss:
There are three. Yeah.

Hugh Hamilton:
Right.

Janna Weiss:
The second one is non-violence, and if we really want to promote peace in the world, then we really need to stand behind the non-violent path, and the non-violent struggle of 6 million Tibetan people who live in the high plateau. And so.. to encourage dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflict, and to send a strong message also to communities where they may be less committed to non-violence as the Tibetans. That's the second issue.

And the third issue is the aspect of health.
Tibetans are world experts on mental health.
In fact, mental illness is rare in Tibet.
And they've been collaborating, the Tibetans, and Tibetan meditation masters, with neuroscientists, for over two decades now, with Mind and Life Institute, and The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education - CCARE at Stanford, and Richard Davidson's research at the University of Wisconsin Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (CIHM) www.investigatinghealthyminds.org and so forth, and Harvard.
And there's no question that a practice of ethics stands at the foundation of mental health and peace of mind, and the less stress we have, as the result of meditation and the practice of ethics, then also, we have better physical health.

Hugh Hamilton:
I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what.
You've made a very... You've made a very compelling case, and you've articulated very well, and very clearly, several of the reasons why this is such an important issue, the Tibetan issue, and I have taken this on advisement. If you are able to do so and you can, send me a follow-up email, I'd be more than happy to... I'd be more than happy to communicate with you further on this...

Janna Weiss:
Thank you very much. (very softly)

Hugh Hamilton:
...Because it seems to me as well that you might be able to make a contribution to the conceptualization of such a segment based on your knowledge and expertise in the field. So, please do send me an email when you have a moment to do so. Put "Tibet" as your subject, and I look forward to hearing further and to working with you to bring the issue to the air. Okay?

Janna Weiss:
Thank you so very much.

Hugh Hamilton:
You are very welcome. Thank you very much indeed.
~  ~  ~

Follow-up email to Mr. Hugh Hamilton  
~ embedded videos

From: Janna Weiss
Date: Fri, Jan 11, 2013
Subject: Tibet - Talkback follow-up
To: Hugh Hamilton

Dear Mr. Hamilton,

Thank you for the opportunity to share about Tibet yesterday on Talkback and for your kind response.

As I mentioned, Tibet is a major global issue. I believe that resolution of the Tibetan issue is key to resolving global corruption, from which we all suffer.
At least 95 Tibetans inside Tibet have self-immolated for the return of the Dalai Lama, for freedom for the Tibetan people and for world peace.
6 million Tibetans reside on the Himalayan high plateau and have been enduring a systematic cultural genocide for over 60 years.
About 1,200,000 Tibetans have been killed and over 6000 monasteries destroyed since the communist invasion began in 1950.

Central Tibetan Administration - Issues Facing Tibet Today http://tibet.net/about-tibet/issues-facing-tibet-today/


What Is China Doing In Tibet? http://www.SolidaritywithTibet.org

Cultural Genocide in Tibet http://therealjannaweiss.blogspot.com/2012/07/lhasa-impressions.html

Environment
Tibet is a #1 environmental issue. Tibet is considered the global Third Pole. Its glaciers are sourcewaters for 10 major Asian rivers, providing water to about 4 billion people, 60% of humanity. The Tibetan glaciers are melting due to mining, military activity, damming for hydroelectric power, deforestation, mass decimation of wild herd animals, resettlement of 1.4 million nomadic yak herders that graze Tibet's immense grasslands. Tibet is also experiencing desertification.


Tibet - The Third Pole 3:53 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FBrnFTzy7A

Non-violence
Tibetans are Tibetan Buddhists and are committed to non-violence. The democratically elected Tibetan government in exile supports the Dalai Lama's Middle Way approach to peaceful resolution of the longstanding conflict with China through dialogue. Support for the Tibetan non-violent struggle will send a strong message of support for non-violent conflict resolution to communities around the world who may be less committed to non-violence than the Tibetans.


Why Is Tibet Burning? Tibetan Parliament in Exile explains self-immolation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HhKF4_-9g8 (or read the text: http://therealjannaweiss.blogspot.com/2012/12/why-is-tibet-burning.html )


Why The Dalai Lama Matters - Prof. Robert Thurman, Columbia University 3:48 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1nHPfewjcA
[Transcript here - close window scroll for English]


Why The Dalai Lama Matters - Prof. Robert Thurman and Pico Iyer (like a long Talkback) 108 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySsJUr1sMU8

Health
The Tibetans are experts on mental health who mass produced enlightened teachers in a vast network of monasteries for 1300 years, since Buddhism came to Tibet.


 The Habits of Happiness - Ven. Matthieu Ricard

Mental illness is rare in Tibet. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan meditation adepts have been collaborating with neuroscientists for close to three decades. Neuroscientific findings conclusively show that Tibetan meditation techniques lead to objective measures of happiness, for example, as determined by strong activity in the left pre-frontal cortex. Ven. Matthieu Ricard, once a molecular biologist and today a Tibetan Buddhist monk, has been dubbed 'the happiest man in the world' and his happiness measure is 4.5 standard deviations outside the bell curve of a control group of 150 non-meditators, for left/right pre-frontal cortical activity (right = unhappy, destructive emotions). Graph from The Habits of Happiness by Matthieu Ricard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbLEf4HR74E attached.


The two essentials of meditation are single pointed concentration and ethics (concentrative and analytical meditation, respectively).
Better mental health, greater peace of mind, a calm mind, less stress, contribute to better physical health. The Dalai Lama prioritizes: peace of mind, health, friends, money, in that order.


 Mind and Life Institute http://www.mindandlife.org Mind and Life Intro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o6_KB7tDbc



Prof. Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org
Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain, Richard Davidson lecture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tRdDqXgsJ0


Nurturing Mindfulness in Families, Schools and Youth Mark Greenbery, University of Pennsylvania http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3KXkO7NeG0

Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education http://ccare.stanford.edu


Harvard - Tibetan Buddhist monks - Meditation & Science http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-wuOYlxMSY

Trance and Mental Health http://therealjannaweiss.blogspot.com/2012/06/trance-and-mental-health.html

NYC Tibetan contacts
10,000 Tibetans live in NYC. When Tibet is free, the Tibetans will return to Tibet. About 200,000 Tibetans reside in exile.
The Office of Tibet http://tibetoffice.org/
The Tibetan Community of NY and NJ http://www.tcnynj.org/
Tibet House - cultural http://www.tibethouse.org/
Students for a Free Tibet https://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/

Reliable news source: Phayul http://www.phayul.com

Tashi delek! (auspicious Tibetan greeting)

Blessings for happiness,

Janna

Janna Weiss, Ph.D., L.Ac.
New York
http://twitter.com/RealJannaWeiss
http://therealjannaweiss.blogspot.com

~  ~  ~
*As of today, more than 107 Tibetans have self-immolated for freedom. 
Please see what you can do: http://www.SolidaritywithTibet.org/outreach

Updated December 1, 2013 - More than 123 Tibetans have self-immolated for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom for the Tibetan people.
Please see what you can do for Tibet:  http://www.SolidaritywithTibet.org/outreach
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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama & Freedom


Image of His Holiness the Dalai Lama enthroned in a monastery in Eastern Tibet



 WHAT IS CHINA DOING IN TIBET?


WARNING: This video contains graphic images.

The People's Republic of China invaded Tibet in 1949 and, since then, Tibet has remained under its iron-fisted control.

As of Dec 1, 2012, 90 Tibetans have self-immolated, with one in 2009, 12 in 2011, and 77 in 2012. 28 self-immolations took place this past November alone, with as many as 5 in one day.

SELF-IMMOLATION IS...

...the act of setting one's body on fire as a form of political protest as witnessed in Vietnam, Czechoslovakia and Tunisia.

Do you know this is happening in Tibet?
If you don't, you're not alone. According to TIME Magazine, self-immolation is one of the top underreported news stories of 2011.

Today, Tibetans are reaching out to you.

-Students' Protest Amdo, Tibet 2012-

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE BURNING THEMSELVES?

They are students, mothers and fathers, monks and nuns, nomads and farmers.

SELF-IMMOLATION IS A COMPLEX ACT. THE QUESTION IS, WHAT COMPELS THEM TO DO IT?

-OCCUPATION OF TIBET BY P.R.CHINA-

POLITICAL REPRESSION
The photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama are banned and the Chinese Communist Party controls the monasteries.

ECONOMIC MARGINALIZATION
70% of the businesses in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, are owned or run by Chinese. 40% of Tibetan high school and college graduates are unemployed.

CULTURAL ASSIMILATION
Tibetan has been removed as the language of instruction and replaced with Mandarin.

ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION
Over 100 different kinds of minerals are found in Tibet and billions of dollars of mineral resources are exploited.

At the end of 2015, 1.4 million Tibetan nomads will have been forcibly settled.

WHAT ARE THE TIBETANS CALLING FOR?

Return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom.

THE SELF-IMMOLATORS' LAST WORDS...

"Father, being a Tibetan is so difficult. We can't even say our prayer before the Dalai Lama's portrait. We have no freedom at all..." ~Tenzin, 23 year old herdswoman, mother of a 6 year old boy

"...the Chinese Communist Party arrests and tortures those who demand Tibetan rights. They defame the Dalai Lama and anyone who does not recognize Tibet as part of China will disappear or be assassinated." ~Gudrup, 43 years old, writer

"Tibet has been invaded, repressed and cheated by China. We self-immolated for our misery and lack of basic human rights as well as for world peace."~-Sonam, 24 years old, student

"Dignity is the spirit of a nationality, the courage for justice, the compass leading to future happiness [...] It is the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong." ~Sopa Rinpoche, 42 years old, monk

Ngawang Norphel self-immolated on June 20, 2012
"My people have no freedom of language. Everybody is mixing Tibetan and Chinese... What has happened to my Land of Snow? What has happened to my Land of Snow? ...This [self-immolation] is for the sake of Tibet. If we don't have our freedom, our cultural traditions and language, it would be extremely embarrassing for us. We must therefore learn them..."
Ngawang Norphel died a month after recording this message.

Tibetan Parliament-In-Exile
From the beginning of the self-immolations, the Tibetan leadership has appealed to Tibetans in Tibet not to resort to drastic actions.

Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, democratically elected political head, addressing a Special Tibet Support Groups Meeting, Nov 2012, Dharamsala, India:
"As a human being, we don't want to see anyone die like that, and it is a natural reaction for a human being to say, "Please, don't die like that." That's why the Central Tibetan Administration has made repeated appeals to Tibetans inside Tibet not to resort to drastic actions, including self-immolations, but it persists. Now, as a Tibetan, what do you do? As a Tibetan, you show solidarity, because they are dying for Tibet and for Tibetan people."

DESPITE THE CENTRAL TIBETAN ADMINISTRATION'S REPEATED APPEALS, SELF-IMMOLATIONS PERSIST.

How many more Tibetans must die before the world wakes up and intervenes?

Stand in solidarity with Tibet now.

I STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH TIBET.

Do you?

Here is what you can do...

Join the Solidarity with Tibet campaign called by Sikyong Lobsang Sangay and the Kashag.

Share this video. FB, Twitter, The Marker, Tapuz...

Visit www.solidaritywithtibet.org

For more information: www.tibet.net

Department of Information and International Relations
Central Tibetan Administration
Dharamsala, India
2012
-----
As of Jan 27, 2013, 100 (102) Tibetans have self-immolated in Tibet.
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Beyond the Numbers: A Human Perspective on Tibet's Self-Immolations


1/2

2/2

WARNING: contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some viewers

We called all the Tibetans and also supporters to come here to do this candlelight vigil.
With these two self-immolations who are already dead now -
the count has gone to 51.
It is really really sad for us that we are -
we seem to be counting the numbers
but this is how the situation has come to and it's too difficult to say
where it is leading to

BEYOND THE NUMBERS
A Human Perspective on Tibet's Self-Immolations

On February 27, 2009, a young monk named Tapey set himself on fire outside of Kirti Monastery, located in Tibet.

After prayers at the monastery were cancelled, Tapey doused himself in fuel and set himself alight.

He was shot by the People's Armed Police and the fire was extinguished. He is alive and was seen recovering in a hospital in May of this year.

Since then, Tibetans across the region have been protesting repression by the Chinese government through the same means.

The self-immolators have come to include nuns, monks, laymen, nomads, mothers, fathers.

And some are just children.

They have names and they had lives.

1 Tapey
2 Phutsok Jarutsang
3 Tsewang Norbu
4 Lobsang Kelsang
5 Lobsang Kunchok
6 Kelsang Wangchuk
7 Khaying
8 Choepel
9 Norbu Damdul
10 Tenzin Wangmo
11 Dawa Tsering
12 Palden Choetso
13 Tenzin Phuntsok
14 Tsultrim
15 Tennyi
16 Sonam Wangyal
17 Lobsang Jamyang

Gyaltsen:
My name is Gyaltsen and I'm 24.

I'm doing my Commerce Class 12.

On January 14, 2012, 20 year old Lobsang Jamyang set himself on fire in Ngaba County, Tibet.

He was taken away from the scene by Chinese authorities and reportedly died two days later.

Gyaltsen is his cousin.

Gyaltsen:
My cousin, Lobsang Jamyang, was comparatively small when I was in Tibet.
It was actually eight years back.

I was really really fond of him and he was really really passionate about Tibetan issues and very much nationalistic.

Just two years ago, he told one of my brothers that he was going to do something different, just wait and watch.
It was winter, winter in January.
One of my friends appeared and said, "Your cousin got self-immolated."
I was shocked.
No, no, no, no, it's not possible.
Just before the self-immolation, he actually -
actually he came into the main city where he self-immolated, on a motorbike.
When they reached the main city they went to a restaurant, and then he went to the toilet but he never came back.
When the friend saw him, he was actually on fire on the street, just back down there.

After just a few minutes, Chinese personnel came and beat him.
He was actually took away and then died or maybe killed.
And my cousin left only ash.

-Come to learn. Go to serve.-

He had the same aims and dreams like us.
He definitely wanted to live happily, live long,
serve the parents and enjoy the life.
Yeah, we're going to do prayer.
Prayer cannot replace every activity, and he did not die for prayer.
I think he didn't expect the world and all Tibetans and the Dalai Lama were going to pray him, that's why he's going to die.
No, he didn't expect for that.
All people are saying the self-immolations of Tibetans so good
but when they sleep, they sleep very happily.
No worrying about it.
But when I go to sleep, I think of him.

-Don't pray when it rains, if you don't pray when the sun shines.-

The feeling of a relative and the common people are really different.
It's totally different.
I came to realize that.

18 Rinzin Dorjee
19 Sonam Rabyang
20 Tenzin Choedon

Choepel:
Now, to tell you about my relationship with Tenzin Choedon...
We are from the same family.
Tenzin Choedon's father is my brother.

On February 11, 2012, 18 year old Tenzin Choedon set herself on fire in Ngaba County, Tibet.

She self-immolated below a bridge near Mamae Nunnery, where she was a nun. Tenzin died on the way to hospital.

Choepel* and Sonam* are her uncles.

*name has been changed

Choepel:
When she was a baby, she used to sit on her mother's lap.
One day she fell sick and was brought to our monastery where we held prayers and she stayed with us for two days.
After that, I did not meet her again.

Sonam:
She was closest to me in the family.
When she was a baby she would stay with us, and at night when I had to leave,
she would cry a lot and would not let me go.

Choepel:
Later, she joined the same nunnery where her aunt and my sister are nuns.
I remember contacting them by phone.
She was small at the time and a bit shy when she talked to me.
I used to tell her to study hard at the nunnery.
I was in Chauntra town spending time with a relative during our holidays from the monastery.
Perhaps it was February 11 when I received a call from my nephew who lives in another town, and he told me about Tenzin Choedon.
There was an elderly woman who first saw it -
she said a nun came down from the nunnery drinking some oil-like liquid,
at the same time she was shouting for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet,
and for freedom for Tibet.
Then, all of a sudden, she set herself on fire while still shouting slogans.
For a little while she leaned against a boulder and then she fell down.

Sonam:
The Chinese authorities took away her body.
If they had returned the body, we would have held the necessary prayers and cremation rituals, but they just returned her ashes to her family.
For quite some time, I couldn't focus on my studies.
All kinds of thoughts came into my mind and I felt an acute sense of loss for such a young life.

Choepel:
It made me very sad that a woman and a nun did such a thing to make the world aware of the Tibetan struggle. Among the Tibetans, such a young life was lost.

21Lobsang Gyatso
22 Damchoe Sangpo
23 Nangdrol
24 Tsering Kyi
25 Rinchen
26 Dorjee
27 Gepey
28 Jamyang Palden
29 Losang Tsultrim
30 Sonam Dhargye
31 Lobsang Sherab
32 Tenpa Dhargyal
33 Chime Palden
34 Sonam
35 Choepak Kyap
36 Dorjee Tseten
37 Dhargye
38 Rikyo
39 Tamding Thar
40 Tenzin Khedup
41 Ngawang Norphel

-Dharamshala to Dal Lake...
Main Square
You Are Here...-

Tseten:
I live in Mcleod Ganj and I work at a small restaurant.
I have three brothers and Ngawang Norphel's father is the eldest of the three.

On June 20, 2012, 22 year old Ngawang Norphel and his friend, Tenzin Khedup, 24, self-immolated in Kyegudo, Tibet.

Ngawang was taken to hospital by Chinese authorities. Tenzin died at the scene.
Tseten* is Ngawang's uncle.

*name has been changed

Tseten:
He is from Trindu Village in Nyelam Township and he was born on December 2, 1989.
He was the first grandchild in our family, so he had always been the favorite and was very obedient. Even as a six year old, he used to herd about 300 sheep on his own.
People used to tease him, telling him they couldn't figure out who the lamb was and who the shepherd was because he was so small and used to get lost among the sheep.
While attending school in Nyelam Township, he also worked part-time, as money was scarce for villagers.
He did all sorts of different jobs. Since he was good in both Tibetan and Chinese, he also worked as a translator for traders, including Chinese tradesmen.
I heard about the self-immolation of Ngawang and his friend Tenzin Khedup, but I didn't know one of them was my nephew, because they first reported that Ngawang was from Amdo.
Later, when I got more information, I knew it was him.
That's why I didn't know. I saw some videos and pictures which confirmed it was him and I felt reassured. But it doesn't mean that I feel no compassion or sadness for his loss.
I believe he did a great deed.
[-Save Tibet-]
When my brother saw his son Norphel in the hospital, at first he could not recognize his son, who was badly burnt.
Then my brother heard Norphel crying and calling him, "Father! Father!"
That's how he recognized his son.
He would have made a good life for himself.


Following his self-immolation, Ngawang Norphel was taken to a nearby hospital, where he remained for over a month.
The following footage was obtained by a group of monks while he was in hospital.

He still did not know the status of his friend Tenzin Khedup.

Ngawang Norphel:
What happened to Tenzin Khedup?
Where is he?
Is he dead?
IS HE DEAD?
I don't wish to recover.
My only wish is that by doing this I've raised awareness about what is happening in Tibet.
As a human being you need freedom, language, culture, scripture, you need these things -
If you don't have them, what kind of human are you?

Ngawang Norphel succumbed to his injuries on July 30, 2012, exactly 40 days after his self-immolation.

42 Dickyi Choezom
43 Tsewang Dorjee
44 Losang Lozin
45 Lobsang Tsultrim Ryiwa
46 Dolkar Tso
47 Choepa
48 Tashi
49 Lungtok
50 Lobsang Kelsang
51 Damchoe

Sonam:
Damchoe is my nephew and also the younger brother of Tenzin Choedon.

On August 27, 2012, former monk Damchoe, 17, and
his cousin, Lobsang Kelsang, 18, self-immolated outside of
Kirti Monastery in Ngaba County, Tibet.

Kirti Monastery is at the heart of the self-immolations and
has also been the site of intense political protests over
the past three years.

Both Damchoe and Lobsang died later that evening.

Choepel:
After Tenzin Choedon's self-immolation, I used to talk with Damchoe on the phone, and for quite some time. Our phone conversations were never conducted in a normal way, since all of us knew the phone was tapped.
On his sister's self-immolation, he said she self-immolated for the welfare of Tibetans and for the right to practice Buddhism. And since she did this with wide-reaching concern, he said he felt proud of what she did.

Sonam:
His name is Damchoe.

So Lobsang Damchoe, as it was reported, was wrong?

Sonam:
Yes, that was the wrong name.
His name was just Damchoe.
When I heard about Damchoe's self-immolation, I instantly thought of his sister Tenzin Choedon who had already died, and Damchoe did it the same way, and I felt unbelievably strong emotions. To think of a brother and sister from the same family, the same parents, dying one after another.. We felt terrible and shocked. I don't think this will happen again in my family, but in Tibet, it will happen again...
-Sacrifice of Life for Tibet-
...because the Chinese government is heightening restrictions and repression, and arresting many Tibetans whenever self-immolations happen, like they did after Damchoe and Lobsang self-immolated. A human being cannot live forever under constant repression.

Choepel:
Now my hope is...
both of them burned themselves and they are gone from this world.
The reason and objective for which they burned their bodies is,
in Tibet and around the world, to establish truth, to solve a problem, and realize a necessary goal.

52Yungdung
53 Gudrub
54 Sangyay Gyatso
55 Tamdin Dorje
56 Lhamo Kyap
57 Dhondup
58 Dorjee Rinchen
59 Tenzin
60 Tsepo
61 Lhamo Tseten
62 Tsewang Kyap
63 Dorjee Lhundup
64 Tsegyal
65 Tamding Tso
66 Dorjee Kyap
67 Samdrup
68 Dorjee
69 Jinpa Gyatso
70 Gonpo Tsering
71 Nyingkar Tashi
72 Nyangchak Bum
73 Tenzin Dolma
74 Khabum Gyal

-Thubten Choling-

Kalzang:
My name is Kalzang.
So, I do teaching here at this center in Cowichan Valley.
I'm from Rebkong -
Gyawo, Rebkong, Amdo, Tibet.

On November 15, 2012, 18 year old Khabum Gyal self-immolated in Rebkong, Tibet.
His was the seventh self-immolation to take place in the region that month. He reportedly died the same day. Kalzang is a family friend.

Kalzang:
Khabum Gyal -
he's a neighbor of one of my relatives back in that area.
That's how I know his father.
We're all from the same tribe.
We have 12 villages.
So, we have only one nomad village, so he's from the nomad village.
There's the town that we call Luchu Village.
There's a town...
There's one road to go to Rebkong City, in the main city that we call Rongwo...
So, when he came, the crossroads, then he did the self-immolation.
Soon after I heard that was happened - a self-immolation happened,
I called his neighbor and said, can I talk with him?
He said, he's very like - sad, and he couldn't talk this moment and he said, "Call another time."
Now, after that, I try, the phone is cut off.
The only picture, I got it from last night, far away from there, like four hours away from there by car. Somebody from there took all the way.
When he went there, they sent me these pictures .
One thing that makes me surprised, the surprise is such young person, like him,
to see the big view about Tibet.
-Free Tibet-
He's third generation after Chinese occupied Tibet.
So third generation is more awake on what's happening in Tibet,
what government is doing in Tibet.
They can see that.
They can reach each other very easily, from different parts of Tibet - through phone, through Internet, they can reach very easily.
So, they see this danger, and therefore, they want to speak out.
It's really hard to express my feeling, really.
I don't want any Tibetan lose their life in this way.
But other hand, no matter you do self-immolation or not,
if you really bring up any word or action about Tibet,
you will go to jail.
You can lose your life that way as well.
So the younger generation says it's the same.
Are you waiting to die or you do something.
How many Tibetans need to take a life 'til the world speaks?

In the protest for freedom, countless other Tibetans have lost loved ones through self-immolation.

As of December 10, also International Human Rights Day, the count has reached 95 and continues to climb at an alarming rate.

To date, more than 80 self-immolations have occurred in 2012.

November saw 28 of them alone.

And there are fears that more self-immolations will take place unless the Chinese government listens to and addresses the grievances of the Tibetan people.

75 Chakmo Kyi
76 Sangdag Tsering
77 Wangchen Norbu
78 Tsering Dundup
79 Lubum Tsering
80 Tamdin Dorjee
81 Tamdin Kyap
82 Sangay Dolma
83 Wangyal
84 Kunchok Tsering
85 Gonpo Tsering
86 Kelsang Kyap
87 Sangay Tashi
88 Bhendey Khar
89 Tsering Namgyal
90 Kunchok Kyap
91 Sungdue Kyap
92 Lobsang Gendun
93 Kunchok Phegye
94 Pema Dorjee
95 Bhenchen Kyi
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116

Every Tibetan can have the potential to do something different.
They do not have to do it collectively.
For example, personally, what I am going to do, one thing, is that -
in every day, in every year, on the very day of my cousin's self-immolation,
I am going to plant a tree.
And I think, after forty years, fifty years, when I am getting old,
I can see around forty or fifty trees.
I can sense that I have bring my cousin back.

Produced and directed by Katie Lin
Production Assistant Tendar Tsering

With special thanks to
The friends and relatives of Lobsang Jamyang, Tenzin Choedon and Damchoe, Ngawang Norpheland Khabum Gyal
Kirti Monastery (Dharamsala)
Tibetan Children's Village

The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy

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Monday, January 7, 2013

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
 
Dedicated to His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
and to the flourishing of the true and pure Buddhadharma.
May our minds be free of doubt and confusion, free of ignorance and suffering.
May we always be able to discern kindness from harm, and choose kindness.


 The Technology of the Heart

The 17th Karmapa's Dream Flag

 
 His Holiness the 17th Karmapa's USA visit 2011
Official Welcoming Ceremony, New York City

North American Seat of the Karmapa
Woodstock, New York

H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama & H.H. the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Thrangu Rinpoche, H.H. the 17th Karmapa's Tutor
speaking on the authenticity of the recognition of 
His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

English translated from the Chinese:

First, generally speaking, we can say that most young people, especially what Westerners refer to as teenagers, at the time when His Holiness was at that age... 
In general, when we talk about teenagers, they're always a little impetuous or can always make some mistakes. 
But we can very easily sense His Holiness the Karmapa's very natural great compassion and a kind of dignity, unlike ordinary beings. 
One can especially feel His Holiness' heartfelt aspiration to benefit all sentient beings. 
He is always thinking how to benefit all sentient beings and to promote the precious teachings of the Buddhadharma. 
In this sense, it's really very incredible, at such a young age.
So, in fact, we can really very easily feel the power of His Holiness' virtue, his great compassion and strong aspiration.
This is something we can all personally feel ourselves. 
In the unique perspective that comes from the Tibetan tradition, we say that His Holiness the Karmapa, in his previous life, was also the 16th reincarnation.
At the time the [16th] Karmapa entered parinirvana, he also clearly left a prophetic letter regarding this reincarnation, that stated who the parents of the next reincarnation would be.
Therefore, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa is the very authentic reincarnation, who took rebirth among human beings.
Therefore, we can say that this distinguished tradition of the Karmapas, down to the 17th reincarnation today, is a very pure reincarnation lineage. 
Moreover, His Holiness has constantly returned, for the benefit of all sentient beings.
From this reincarnation of His Holiness, we can see, from childhood, that many of his thoughts and ideas are very different from ordinary beings. It's incredible. 
Rinpoche has a very deep feeling, a feeling that many of the things that His Holiness has done and many of his ideas are His Holiness the 16th Karmapa's. 
Moreover, his aspiration is for the Buddhadharma, for the benefit of all sentient beings, and the compassionate wish to relieve suffering.

May His Holiness the Dala Lama, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa and all the precious teachers of Tibet have long life, good health and the realization of all their holy and precious wishes.
May His Holiness the Dalai Lama return quickly to Tibet, may the Buddhadharma flourish in Tibet, 
may the Tibetan people be free.
May peace reign throughout the world.

Updated Apr 3, 2014:
More than 114 Tibetans have self-immolated for the return of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan freedom.
Please see what you can do: http://www.SolidaritywithTibet.org/outreach
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Why Is Tibet Burning?

95 Tibetans have self-immolated for freedom from over 60 years of oppression. 

The Central Tibetan Administration, Tibet's government in exile, explains... 

Please help Tibet: Solidarity with Tibet




THE BURNING QUESTION: Why are Tibetans Turning to Self-immolation?
Department of Information and International Relations
Central Tibetan Administration
Dharamshala, India

Since China invaded Tibet in 1949,
it has ruled with an iron fist.
The ongoing series of self-immolations
are acts of protest against
China's polices in Tibet.

Today Tibet is under military lockdown.
The trigger is Beijing's paranoia over Tibetans setting their bodies on fire,
turning themselves into human torches for freedom.

From February 2009 to August 2012, the toll was 51 self-immolations, 40 dead and the others' fate largely unknown.

-Map: Self-immolations in Tibet (As of August 27, 2012)-

Monks, nuns, lay men and women, mostly young and robust,
soak themselves in flammable liquids and shout slogans while
the flames consume their flesh.

Their stages are town squares, crowded markets,
government headquarters and military camps,
public places and any locations that symbolize
China's iron-fisted rule over Tibet.

Unlike the self-immolation by monks in the 1960s during the Vietnam war, and Bouazizi's action in Tunisia which ignited the Arab Spring, Tibet's human sacrifices are yet to bring any tangible results.

- The Lede: Glimpses of a Chinese Town Under Lockdown-

The world's response has been mainly muted, with
foreign media and tourists banned from entering Tibet.
Who sees, knows, and can truly understand what is happening there?

-In the latest of a spate of self-immolation protests against Chinese policies, a 19-year-old Tibetan monk set himself on fire on Monday in the rugged western Chinese town of Aba, the advocacy group Free Tibet said in an e-mailed statement. It was the 23rd self-immolation by a Tibetan since last...-
 
In 2008, the year that led up to these self-immolations,
the scene was different.

The media and visitors were welcomed to marvel at Beijing's Olympic games. But instead of basking in glory, China faced an uprising across Tibet. A rebellion erupted against 59 years of deeply resented colonial rule.

Immediately, paramilitary troops and armored tanks were deployed,
and cameras of foreign correspondents and citizen journalists
recorded the true face of human rights in Tibet.

The uprising in Tibet became headline news,
and so Beijing's lockdown began.

Emboldened by the recession and financial woes in the West,
and facing political uncertainty at home,
China's leadership is in denial over the wave of
self-immolations recurring in Tibet.

Despite the overwhelming military and police presence in protest
hotspots and imposition of de-facto martial law, cries of
"Return the Dalai Lama to Tibet!" "We want  freedom!" and, "No human rights in Tibet!"
keep erupting spontaneously from Tibetan bodies spurting flames.

Does Tibet have a history of self-immolations?

The answer is 'No.'

Buddhism teaches that all sentient life is precious.
During the darkest decades of suffering under Mao's
Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution there were cases of suicide, but never displays of humans publicly torching themselves.

So, this begs the question:

Why is this happening now?

-China lock-down seals off Tibetan unrest-

With Internet and phone lines blocked,
and media and foreign tourists banned,
it has been hard to grasp the reality
of Tibet's current situation.

Reporters Without Borders described media access to Lhasa
as even worse than Pyongyang.

-"Out of sight of the world, a major crisis is unfolding. Even Pyongyang has an
international media presence, which is not the case in Lhasa."-

When a team of journalists from BBC and CNN attempted to reach the regions of most self-immolations in eastern Tibet, claimed by China as Sichuan,
they were detained, questioned and threatened with laws of the [inaudible.]

-WORLD NEWS TODAY, BBC WORLD NEWS-
The police held us for 9 hours. They tried to force us to sign a document promising that we would not attempt to enter Tibetan areas again. When we refused, well, then they threatened us. They said that within two days, our visas could be cancelled, and we could be expelled from the country.

-SICHUAN-

Having cut Tibet off from the watching world,
China then launched into a campaign of disinformation
through state media.

-Map: Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture-

The self-immolators are either described as violent terrorists, mentally unstable, or
ignorant villagers knowing nothing about today's world.

Since the majority of those who have set fire to themselves,
are young, and monks or former monks,
Beijing propaganda claims that rather than being politically motivated,
they have been brainwashed by religious leaders and their teachers.

-THE DALAI CLIQUE AND THE SELF-IMMOLATION EVENT-

The blame is then diverted across the Himalayas
to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his so-called Dalai Clique in India.

They stand accused of offering cash incentives
for any debts or injuries through self-immolation,
and actually engineering and fomenting
this new resistance to China's rule over Tibet.

This documentary addresses the background,
the fundamental causes and events that led to
this fiery outburst of protest across the plateau.

Perhaps more importantly, it will explain how Tibetans themselves
view these unprecedented actions,
and articulate their hopes for an outcome that
will make all the suffering worthwhile.

-A single spark...-

On February 27, 2009, a 20-something monk at Kirti Monastery,
heard that the authorities had cancelled that day's major
religious ceremony.

Within half an hour, Tapi was in the main square of Ngaba town,
soaked in oil, waving the banned Tibetan flag,
shouting slogans as he set himself on fire.

Before the flames were extinguished,
he was shot by the People's Armed Police,
and then his body was dragged away.

This was the first in Tibet's chain of self-immolations.
Whether Tapi is dead or alive is uncertain.

For Mao Zedong, religion was poison,
and for today's leadership in Beijing,
Tibet's monasteries and nunneries are still their prime targets.

The late 1990s saw classic Mao's era methods and campaigns
introduced to control monks and nuns.

First, patriotic education was imposed, and later,
Democratic Management Committees took over the day-to-day running of
Tibet's religious establishments.

Since then, monastic education places love and loyalty for the Great Motherland
on a higher throne than studying and practicing the Buddhadharma.

Monks and nuns spend half their days memorizing party propaganda,
but most painful of all, they are forced to sign pledges
denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Surveillance and control have spiraled across the plateau since 2008's spontaneous uprisings.

A communist party cell is now embedded in all Democratic Management Committees, and government officials directly rule religious establishments.

Given this targeted control over Buddhist life,
it is no coincidence that out of 51 self-immolations until
August 2012, 30 are from Ngaba,
and 20 are by young monks and former monks.

Two nuns who died are from a nearby nunnery.
With Kirti Monastery and Ngaba town under lockdown,
policed by crack military units of the People's Liberation Army,
it is clear that Kirti monks are being further radicalized.

Their monastery is now a de-facto prison.

And to further enhance patriotism in monks and nuns,
since November 2011,
portraits of four leaders of communist China,
plus the PRC's flag,
must be displayed in all monastic buildings.

-Lhasa 2008-

To achieve Hu Jintao's 'harmonious society,'
Beijing now spends more on domestic security,
including policing and surveillance,
than on its defense budget.

In Eastern Tibet's Ngaba county alone,
spending on public security in 2009,
was five times higher than in the non-Tibetan regions of Sichuan.

The escalating outlay is certainly due to the
spate of self-immolations and related protests,
and in turn, the heavy security presence leads to social confrontation
and the alienation of all Tibetans.

Although the PRC has produced no credible evidence
that Kirti Monastery has
been involved in the self-immolations by its monks and former monks, both the local community and Kirti residents are taking the blame.

The aftermath of every fiery action sees police raids, and arrests,
road blocks, and intimidating parades of military force.

In retaliation for Kirti Monastery's monk, Phuntsok,
setting fire to himself in March 2011,
armed paramilitary troops placed the monastery under siege,
cutting off food and water supplies.

The patriotic education campaign was stepped up and made compulsory.
 
A month later, ten military trucks drove 300 Kirti monks
away for political indoctrination,
under the guise of 'legal education.'

The fate of those who didn't return is in doubt.

Today, for a monk to get leave from his monastery,
three letters by guarantors are demanded.

In addition to civilian and military police patrols,
a special unit has been deployed to Ngaba
to strike hard against violent terrorist activities.

-Dharamsala, India-

-Kirti Rnpoche
Abbot of Kirti Monastery-

"China's constitution protects the right to believe or not to believe in religion.
A Buddhist may be defined as the one who seeks refuge in the Three Jewels:
the Buddha, his teachings and his community.

Tibetan Buddhists revere their spiritual masters
and His Holiness the Dalai Lama as their Buddha.

Although China claims to protect religious freedom,
the so-called 'patriotic education campaign,' 
forces Tibetan monks and nuns to denounce their spiritual masters.

They are not allowed to maintain any relation with their spiritual masters.
They are not allowed to follow the teachings of their spiritual masters.

This is causing unbearable pain in the hearts and minds of Tibetan people.
They will, however, not forsake their objects of refuge,
even at the cost of their lives.

Since 1959, the Tibetan monasteries have been
the main target of crackdown.

They are viewed as the hotbed of reactionaries,
the main target of the hostility of the Chinese officials.

-Lhasa 1989-

Since campaigns after campaigns were waged inside the monasteries,
the situation today has reached a breaking point.

Tibetan monasteries are the centers of learning and scholarship.
They are the preservers of Tibetan cultural heritage.
They are not a tourist spot or a museum.

The Chinese policies have turned Tibetan monasteries into sightseeing objects,
and money-making entities, a place where they entertain tourists
by hosting elaborate masked dance shows.

-Kirti Rinpoche, Abbot of Kirti Monastery-

Let alone the restriction on the Tibetan monasteries,
the Chinese authorities have gone so far as to modify
Tibetan Buddhism to suit their political ends.

This is absolutely impossible.
You can't stop flames from leaping up
or waters flowing down.

Tibetan Buddhism is based on scientific principles.
You can't make arbitrary changes in Buddhism
and conform it to the polices of the Chinese Communist Party."

Prison sentences of 10 to 13 years were given to three Kirti monks
in September 2011, for allegedly helping 20 year old Phuntsok set fire to himself,
and sheltering him inside the monastery until he died.

China condemns self-immolation as an extreme act of violence by terrorists,
and a gross violation of the fundamental principles of Buddhism.

-Jiang Yu, Spokesman, Chinese Foreign Ministry-

"This behavior, which ignores life and violates moral standards,
should be condemned.
We note that, after these incidents,
the overseas Tibet independence force,
the Dalai Clique,
has not denounced this extreme behavior,
but publicly glorified it."

Tibetan religious scholars are educated to know better.
The explanation of Sopa Rinpoche carries added authenticity.

-Tulku Sonam Wangyal-

"This learned lama, in his early 40s, died on January 8, 2012,
in Amdo Golok.

Before drinking kerosene and lighting his robes,
he recorded the following message:

...I am giving away my body as an
offering of light to chase away the
darkness, to free all beings
from suffering...

I am sacrificing my body with a firm
conviction and a pure heart just as
the Buddha bravely gave his body to
a hungry tigress [to stop her from
eating her cubs]."

-Forced settlement of Tibetan nomads...-

While a majority of the self-immolators are monks and nuns,
nearly half of those who have burned themselves
have their roots in traditionally nomad regions of Tibet.

Out of a population of 6 million,
it is the 2 million hardy and independent nomads whose lifestyles and livelihoods have suffered the most under the communist yoke.

Today, 1.5 million of them are corralled into state-controlled villages. This was the background of Rinchen, a mother of four,
who set herself alight on March 4, 2012,
near the military camp close to Ngaba town.

Since her husband died, she had been raising her children,
ranging from a few months to early teens, alone.

"We need freedom!" she shouted as the flames engulfed her body.

-Zamthang, Tibet-

This dying cry for freedom, by a single parent,
exemplifies the crisis building up inside Tibet.

The mood of resistance to the Chinese Communist Party is strong,

The nomads of Tibet have been free to graze their yaks and sheep
across the lush grasslands of the high plateau for over four thousand years.

But when Beijing introduced compulsory settlement in 1998,
the official reason was that overgrazing is leading to environmental
degradation and soil erosion.

Until then, nomads and the complex habitat,
had co-existed in productive harmony for millennia.

These resettlement villages in remote locations,
offer no chance of employment,
and without livestock, the inherited skills of nomads have no value.

With unemployment the accepted norm,
many females have been forced into the sex trade,
while they watch their men-folk turn to alcohol.

Knowing that the lands they are surrounded with are rich in minerals, rare earths, ores and other natural resources that the PRC is hungry for, the nomads of Tibet only see their future as bleak.

-Tibetan language and freedom...-

Like many nomad children, Tseringkyi started school when she was ten. But her zeal made up for lost time.
According to her cousin, she always had a book in her hand
while tending the family's livestock.

Passion for learning turned to despair on the day she heard
that the authorities were switching the language of instruction
in schools in her native Amdo from Tibetan to Chinese.

On March 3, 2012, just before the start of the spring semester,
Tseringkyi emerged from a public toilet in the market of a local town. Gasoline soaked blankets wrapped around her body
were bound tight with wire.

As the flames leapt over her head, she raised a defiant fist,
before slumping to the ground.
She died on the spot. Tseringkyi was twenty.

Language has become an explosive issue across Tibet.
As Chinese has taken over from Tibetan as the only official channel of official communication and dominates the entire education system,
monolingual rural Tibetans feel like foreigners in their own land.

By devaluing their language, Tibetans are being deliberately marginalized.
This policy denies them employment.

In 2006, Lhasa University students, protested when 98 out of 100
government jobs went to Chinese stream graduates.

That left two posts for Tibetan language applicants.

And in September 2010, hundreds of angry graduates from Lhasa's
institute of Tibetan traditional medicine
demonstrated in front of T.A.R. government offices.

Their banners demanded an increase in work opportunities.

A year later, student demonstrations erupted in the northeast,
when the teaching of Tibetan in highly literate Amdo
was to be fully downgraded.

The massive gatherings were widespread and the banners read:
"Equality of nationalities," "Freedom of languages.

These protests soon spread from Amdo to Beijing,
with 400 students demanding freedom of language at the Minorities Nationalities University in the capitol.

Tibetan, both written and spoken,
is the very bedrock of the nation's identity, religion and culture.

Being one of Asia's seminal languages and one of its four oldest,
Tibetan also has unique historical value.

As a Tibetan blogger best put it,
"Taking away a person's language
is not the same as taking the bread out of someone's pouch.
It is like having your tongue pulled out of your mouth."

-China's colonial policies...-

Until May 27, 2012, there had been no self-immolations in Tibet's historical capital, Lhasa.
Undaunted by the pervasive military and police patrols that day,
Thargey and Dorje Tsedan protested against China's rule over Tibet
by torching themselves in front of the sacred 7th century Jokhang Temple.

Thargey was 25 and Dorje, 19.
Both had moved to Lhasa from eastern Tibet and were working in a restaurant.

The twin immolations in May led to several hundred Tibetans from eastern provinces currently living in Lhasa, being arbitrarily expelled.
This was part of a drastic security clampdown to
avert Tibetan protest, a militarization that is still very visible on the streets of Lhasa.

A Chinese net citizen reports,
"Lhasa is crawling with riot police.
In gas stations, temples, power stations, intersections - everywhere there are riot police carrying guns. There are even armored cars patrolling the pedestrian walkways."

Another observer comments,
"When taking pictures in front of the Potala Palace, you can't sit or lay down on the ground. Otherwise, Uncle Riot Police will come and get you."
 
Kalsang Gyaltsen Bawa, China Analyst:
"China's current Tibet policy is based on two fundamental principles, economic development and social stability.

Under their policy of maintaining social stability,
the entire blame for the current lack of stability in Tibet is heaped on the so-called Dalai Clique, which is His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan administration in exile.

Everything that happens in the Tibet, including activities related with the preservation of Tibetan religion, culture and language,
all these are labelled as inciting separatism and endangering state security, and under this pretext, the Chinese authorities have
adopted a policy of unrestrained use of force and an extreme policy of arbitrary detention, torture and killings.

This is one of the main reasons behind the current crisis in Tibet.

Secondly, under the slogan of economic development, the Chinese authorities have initiated campaigns like the Rail Tibet project, and promotion of tourism and development of infrastructure.

However, the real policy behind these campaigns is to facilitate Chinese population transfer into Tibet.

After flooding Tibet with Chinese people, their aim is to dilute Tibetan religion, culture, and linguistic identity.

The people inside Tibet therefore fear that the ultimate aim behind China's current Tibet policy is to wipe out the very identity of Tibetan people.

There was, as a result, a series of protest movements inside Tibet.
The main cause behind the current crisis of self-immolations by Tibetans is therefore China's defective policies in Tibet."

In Lhasa today, there are reportedly more Chinese than Tibetans,
more soldiers than monks, and more surveillance cameras than windows.
 
Thubten Samphel, Director of Tibet Policy Institute:
"It is no coincidence that the increasing number of self-immolations in Tibet
took place when His Holiness was in the process of devolving all
his political authority to an elected Tibetan leader.

In this way that the Tibetans in Tibet regret the fact that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is no longer Tibet's political leader.

And this comes as a cause of deep remorse.
All of them, without exception, want His Holiness to return to Tibet, and they feel that His Holiness, leading the Tibetan people in his political role, is no longer an option.

On the other hand, I feel there's a sense of alienation amongst young Tibetans in Tibet, that in exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has devolved his political authority to an elected leader. So, when Tibetans see this event, they feel that, given a chance,
Tibetans have the capacity to elect a leader whose authority has been inherited from the traditional institution of the Dalai Lama.
 
So, this.. when there were developments from Tibet, in the exile community, there's a sense of alienation; at the same time, there's a sense of deep regret, that this ability of Tibetans to elect their political authority is denied to them by a reluctant, very stubborn leadership in Beijing.

So, I feel, these two factors might have played a role in the number of self-immolations we see in Tibet."

In spite of Beijing's punitive colonial policies in Tibet,
alienating every section of the population, the PRC's propaganda
machinery insists that self-immolations are being instigated and choreographed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his associates in exile.

-Hong Lei, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman-

So what is the Central Tibetan Administration's position on this burning issue?

Since the Dalai Lama devolved his political and administrative role to a fully elected leadership in 2011, we now turn to the new elected leadership under the administration of Kalon Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay with Dicki Chhoyang, as a Kalon of Tibetan Department of Information and International Relations. 
 
Kalon Dicki Chhoyang, Department of Information and International Relations:
"The position of the Central Tibetan Administration with regards to self-immolation is very clear.
As early as [2009] when the wave of self-immolations began,
we made an appeal to Tibetans inside Tibet,
not to resort to drastic actions.
Now, despite our appeals, the self-immolations have persisted,
and, given the situation, we feel a moral obligation to speak on their behalf,
to the international community, to explain the reasons behind these
political acts of protest.

Looking at the profile and the background of the self-immolators,
we can see that their distress was related to different policies, namely policies related to religious freedom, language, environment, and also the forced settlement of Tibetan nomads.

If one asks, "What is the way forward?" - it is dialogue.
As we expressed, the Kashag, on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration,
in the statement that we issued in June 2012,
when the two special envoys tendered their resignation for the Sino-Tibetan dialogue, we remain firmly committed, not only to non-violence, but also to the Middle Way approach, which seeks to resolve the issue of Tibet through genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese constitution.

The international community, despite the fact that the Chinese government has returned a deaf ear to requests to send fact finding delegations and also to give access to the international media to Tibetan areas where the self-immolations took place, the international community must not remain an idle bystander.

The way that the international community handles the issue of Tibet sends a very clear message, a very important message to other political movements, that may not be as firmly committed as we are to non-violence.

Does it pay to stick to non-violence to find a solution to a conflict?

So, the message is sent, not only to other political movements, but also to
future generations.

World leaders love to speak about peace, about non-violence,
about finding resolutions to conflict without armed confrontation.

Tibet is an opportunity to live up to these principles.

Talking about these principles is devoid of any meaning,
if we cannot embody them through actions when we're dealing with real life situations such as the crisis we're facing inside Tibet.

Tibetans inside Tibet have the courage to stand up for their rights,
even  if it's at the cost of their life.

All we ask for, is for the international community to have the courage to use their freedom to help the Tibetan people secure theirs.

-As this documentary went to air in
September 2012, 51 Tibetans have been confirmed
to have self-immolated inside Tibet.-

-41 of the 51 are known to have died
following their protest.-
~ ~ ~
December 2012: 95 self-immolations in Tibet

Please help Tibet: Solidarity with Tibet
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